Plans for a ‘garden school’ in a north Macon residential neighborhood put on hold

Plans for a “garden school” in the Springdale Woods subdivision in north Macon was deferred Monday after some neighbors objected to it during the zoning meeting.

Brittany Meir y Teran had applied for a conditional-use permit with the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission to allow the children’s center at 697 Springdale Woods Drive in a single-family residential district just off Rivoli Drive. The proposal, which was discussed Monday, most closely resembles a private school, according to the commission’s staff report.

After the applicant made her presentation, about eight people spoke out against the project, said Executive Director Jim Thomas. They expressed concerns about the added traffic it would bring and fears about introducing a business in the neighborhood, he said.

After hearing the opposition, the applicant asked that the matter be deferred because “she wanted a chance to address some of the concerns raised by the neighborhood,” he said.

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The Springdale Garden School would feature “a secluded and sustainable green space where children and their parents can learn, explore, and enjoy the outdoors without distractions,” according to the applicant’s statement submitted to P&Z. “Our outdoor school is akin to a secret garden. ... Our sensory garden will stimulate the senses and inspire play, innovation and learning. ... We will also offer a carefully curated, exploration safe & STEM inspired, forest learning space on the walking path, as well as teach permaculture basics in the outdoor classroom.”

Classes would have eight to 10 students and be available one to two times a day, three to five days a week, the statement said. Various classes are suited for toddlers and their caregivers, as well as for children 6-12 years old.

The matter is expected to be put on the Oct. 8 agenda to be reheard.

Package store plans also deferred

In another matter, the commission also deferred a conditional-use application for a package store at 6374 Zebulon Road, near the entrance to the Lake Wildwood subdivision.

Plans are to build a 7,000-square-foot commercial building and 27 parking spaces on a 1-acre site, which is near the entrance ramp to Interstate 475. The store is expected to be open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 12:30-7 p.m. Sunday, according to the staff report.

The proposed business plans to relocate from 6351 Zebulon Road, basically across the street, but the new store would back up to Lake Wildwood residences.

“No landscaped or undisturbed buffer is proposed adjacent to the residential property,” according to the staff report.

Commissioners were concerned about access to the business, so the matter was deferred to give the applicant time to meet with the adjacent shopping center owner to discuss the possibility of using its driveway, Thomas said.

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